We are dead in the middle of summer this week, and I am loving every minute of it. Not only the long days of sun and warmth, but the bounty of the season is just so inspiring. Fresh summer foods practically beg to be eaten in there most natural form, without any fuss or todo. Which is great for weeknight cooking. It's also why I have been craving so many salads lately. Fresh salads with seasonal ingredients that make a complete meal and leave me feeling healthfully satiated.

This week's meal was inspired by a dish I served at a recent event where I served brisket with blueberry-feta "slaw". Brisket is a labor of love, so I skipped that and focused on making the slaw a full meal. To help "beef" it up a bit, I married it with another summer favorite - panzanella, or bread salad. So many favorite ingredients all in one bowl - kale, blueberries, goat cheese (in place of feta) and toasted bread...yum! To really take it over the top I decided that since I'd be turning on the oven to toast the bread, I could toss some shrimp in there at the same time. And, voila! My shrimp panzanella with goat cheese and blueberries was born. It's an interesting combination, I'll give you that, but the beauty of eating fresh foods straight from the season is that they tend to pair so well together! Enjoy!

Tear baguette into bite sized pieces and place on one sheet tray. You want about 6 cups. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Arrange shrimp on a second sheet tray. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

PSA - I know one sheet tray meals are very trendy right now, but don't do that here. The bread needs a lot of room to cook evenly and get crisp, and sometimes the shrimp will release a lot of juices which would make the bread soggy.

Place bread and shrimp in the preheated oven. Cook bread until crisp, about 5-8 minutes. Cook shrimp until bright pink, about 6-9 minutes depending on the size.

While shrimp and bread cook, prep the salad. Tear or slice baby kale and set in a large bowl. Slice radicchio and add to the kale along with the blueberries. Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of white balsamic or white wine vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. This is basically a deconstructed vinaigrette, we are just saving ourselves the work of making an emulsification. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Once the bread and shrimp are out of the oven, let the croutons cool and chop the shrimp into small pieces. This is optional, but I like to do this so the salad is all bite-sized and easy to eat. Add the chopped shrimp to the bowl of salad along with the goat cheese and croutons. Once again, toss everything to combine. Check seasoning and add more vinegar, olive oil or salt and pepper if desired.

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Hi! I'm Emily, and this is the official blog of Guest Chef, my personal chef and catering business serving Metro Detroit. As much as I love to cook for people, I also love inspiring others to cook great food for themselves and their friends and family. Which is why I share recipes, tips and inspiration here. Follow along and let's cook something great together!